Journalism of the lowest caliber

I should warn you, reader, my opinions usually end up being lists of facts. I differentiate between opinions and guesses. They aren't the same thing. I'm not going to guess at what the truth is here. But I can give my opinion n whether or not the investigation of ACORN should've been attempted in the first place.

My initial recation to the ACORN investigation was the fact that was almost certainly politically motivated. ACORN is the organization that President Barack Obama previously did work for. By making ACORN look like a evil and corrupt organization, the Rebulicans and conservatives can score political points.

I can reasonably assume that because it's been done in the past with other Presidents and the organizations they've been in cahoots with. Blackwater and Halliburton. Both companies were demonized for political gain of the opposition party. Both parties do it, so I'm in no way surprised that it happened.

I can also reasonably say that this investigation would never have happened in a newsroom I was running. But then again, there are a lot of good newsrooms out there that I don't run. I am an ardent practicioner of the fundamentals of journalism. Why shoot the 3-pointer if the slam dunk is open to you?

SJR says that undercover journalism is ethical is normal means develop nothing of use to the public. Well, I think that's a cop out. Can't get anything done the old-fashioned/honest way? You're not working hard enough.

Aristotle put it best, "How can justice that's done in secrecy be justice?" That's the point. There's not such thing as secret justice. There's the law. There's ethics. And neither of those should have to be compromised to enforce law and ethics.

However, John Stuart Mill had the best philosophy when it comes to the application of journalism. News organizations were founded on (other than financial gain) the idea the sunshine is the best disinfectant. That if everybody knew everything, it would be a better place. And that nothing is best kept secret, for the good of society.

Which brings me to the question at hand. Is what the investigators of ACORN did benefit society?

Umm....we'll see.

I think it's too early to tell if this is going to help or hurt. I think a lot of the reports are coming in out of context. I remember during the election days, ACORN was accused of trying to register fake voters. Voter applications came in with names like Brett Favre and Mickey Mouse. That's bad, but not ACORN's fault. It's against the law to throw out completed voter registration forms no matter how seriously they're completed. That's how we make sure ACORN's not just throwing out every form that's filled out by a Republican.

Honestly, I don't think John Stuart Mill would've cared about this investigation, because, in the long run, it won't make a lick of difference in anything. Sure, ACORN is out of the federal budget now, but most of that was done to save some political face. If ACORN was really as necessary as some people say they are, more thoughtful consideration would've been given to keeping them around.

To sum up my thesis here. To the investigators...bad dog! To ACORN, so long. Nobody will miss you, apparently.

An on-the-way-homer

Woo Hoo! A brand new blog from the host of Halway to Hero, Pete Evan Davis. This is a dark day for internet. Stay tuned as we change world together (not for the better).

I used to hand out little cards that said, "This is my e-mail address. Let me know when you start a blog so I can get rid of my computer and move into the Austrailian outback."

It was an elaborate way to call comeone an idiot. Love it.